15-Year-Old Riding Atop Subway on NYC Bridge Falls to Death

A 15-year-old boy subway surfing over the Williamsburg Bridge hit his head on a piece of the span and fell under the train, which ran over and killed him, authorities say — the second such death in the borough in less than 90 days.

The boy, whose identity has not been released, was on a Manhattan-bound J train shortly before 11 p.m. Monday when he fell, according to police. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No other details were immediately available.

It comes about two months after an eerily similar incident in Brooklyn claimed the life of another 15-year-old boy. He was on top of a J train and fell off as it pulled into the Marcy Avenue stop in broad daylight on Dec. 2. The boy made contact with the electrified third rail and died.

Roughly six months before that, a 15-year-old boy lost an arm in a terrifying subway surfing incident in Queens in late August. And in mid-June, wild video surfaced showing people riding atop a subway train as it crossed the Williamsburg Bridge. There were eight people on top of that J train during the early December trip. No one was hurt — but the MTA sought to draw attention at the time to what they described as a concerning — and escalating — dangerous trend.

According to the transit agency, there were more than 450 reports of subway surfing throughout the system in 2022 alone. That’s more than six times the number reported the year before (68) and nearly five times the 97 reported in 2020, though the latter two years may have seen data impacted by the early COVID-19 pandemic.

Sources said an R train was pulling out of the underground station when the boy fell, causing the brutal injury. Police later confirmed that witnesses said the boy and three of his friends were making risky maneuvers between train cars. It’s unclear what happened to the boy but someone on a train pulling into the station called 911 after they saw the boy on the track, missing part of his arm.

The teenager was transported to Bellevue Hospital and police initially said the child was expected to survive.

Detectives were on scene for much of the day and want to speak with witnesses to help piece together the events that led to the teen’s tragic fall. Police say they haven’t determined whether any charges will be filed.

Train service was disrupted for a time, with subways either bypassing the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue station or running express. Get real-time transit updates from all your key commute sources right here.